The Scarlet Prince

Chapter One | Eyes of a Beast

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Startled, Iris turned to find a familiar face grinning down at her. "You're -

"Cobalt Bones, at your service, milady." The dark-haired man offered her a sweeping bow and his rakish grin widened as he straightened. "Obsidian is my twin brother."

Ah. That made sense. Iris did remember seeing this person when they had first boarded the ship. Curious, she looked at him properly again now. He was definitely identical to his brother, save for the silver eyes- a shade similar to her own- which replaced Obsidian's gold. But it was Cobalt's smile that differentiated them the most. Iris inclined her head politely. "Nice to meet you. My name is Iris."

"Yes, I know," Cobalt said. "Circe picked you up at port."

Iris nodded, feeling a little bemused. The way he said it made it sound as though she were a dog that the other woman had adopted. "You said that this is your brothers' room?" She pointed to the door.

"Correct," Cobalt gave Iris a cheeky wink. "That is the entrance to his lair. So, as I said ... I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"I ... I was looking for Circe," Iris said haltingly. Well, she had been looking for the source of the music, but Circe was important to find as well.

Cobalt's silver eyes twinkled mischievously. "Well, if that is Obsidian's lair, then you can think of Circe as the treasure within. She'll be in there with him; can you hear the music?" Iris nodded. "That's her playing," Cobalt continued. "She plays for him most mornings, but I imagine she will be finished soon. Shall I take you to get breakfast instead?"

Iris wavered. Now that her exploration had reached a dead end, the offer was tempting. She was wary of this pirate, but he certainly seemed more approachable than his brother. Perhaps he might even be willing to answer a few of her questions himself. "Yes, please." She said eventually. She offered a small smile, which he returned.

"I think your guard - Gabriel, was it? I think he is there already," Cobalt told her, "I saw him with Samson." He took her by the shoulders, and she let him steer her back the way she had come- through the door, and down into the bowels of the ship.

"Circe and Obsidian ..." Iris ventured cautiously, "they are ... together?" The way that Cobalt spoke about them suggested such a relationship.

"Yup!" Cobalt supplied cheerfully. "Married actually. For a few years now."

"Married?" Iris asked incredulously. "Pirates get married?"

Cobalt laughed. "Not often, but I suppose you could say that these two are special."

Iris nodded slowly, feeling curious, but unsure about prying further. She remembered the interactions between the two when she had first boarded the ship. Certainly, she supposed that it wasn't surprising they were together - but married .... Obsidian Bones certainly hadn't seemed like that type of man.

As though he could read her train of thought, Cobalt chuckled. "I can see why you might be sceptical, but my brother is more loyal than you think," he hummed, "and those two have been through hell and back in order to be together. There were a lot of people opposed to their union."

Iris frowned and wondered why anyone would be against the love between two pirates. It wasn't as though they were royalty. Her thoughts drifted to Darius, and she sighed.

"Here we are!" Cobalt announced suddenly.

They had arrived while Iris had been lost in thought, and now she stood at the entrance to a long room with a low ceiling. Packed with crew members, good smells, and a lot of noise, Iris followed Cobalt into the mess hall, her eyes searching for Gabriel.